November was her least favourite month, without any doubts. She hated rain and the ever-present cold, that seemed to seep through every layer of clothing, leaving her body trembling and in a desperate need for warmth. Hermione disliked it for more than just the weather, though. November had always meant that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup was about to begin. Unfortunately, flying on broom required an open space, which forced every student in the school to go out and sit in the rain and wind as both teams tried to end the game as quickly as possible.

The fact that she had managed to miss the first game of the year between Gryffindor and Slytherin did nothing to lighten up her mood. It made her feel guilty, as Sirius and James were both part of Gryffindor team and they were her friends, who really wanted her support. Sirius was so disappointed that she hadn't been there that he stopped talking to her once again, right after she apologized to him for what happened in Potions. Of course, it hadn't been her fault that Moody decided to use the opportunity to see if she was still in condition to defend herself, had anything bad occurred. Sirius didn't know that though and she had to lie to him and say that she got busy with her essays.

A week has passed and now she was on a good path to be late to the game, again. This time, it was entirely her fault and it made her even angrier. She completely forgot to leave her books in the dormitory and she wasn't stupid enough to take them to the Quidditch pitch, where everyone would be able to destroy them. By the time she got to the Ravenclaw Tower, she had already known that there was no way she would be on time. And to think that Hermione had always been a punctual and reliable person.

She had also been the one to avoid running through the corridors like a crazy person, but this time her usual rules seemed to be forgotten. It was not like many students decided to wander the halls anyway. Most of them preferred to get down to the pitch as quickly as possible in order to get the best places. Most, but not everyone.

"Bloody hell!", a voice groaned from underneath her body, as she slammed into its owner at her highest speed.

"Remus? Did I kill you?", she asked short of breath and looked at the boy with worry.

"I'm pretty sure that being dead would hurt less", he managed to say weakly, making Hermione get up immediately. "I'm fine, Hermione. Actually, I was looking for you"

Miss Granger blinked with surprise and watched as the Prefect stood up and started to brush off his robes.

"Sirius told me to get you, because he was worried you might miss your own House's game", he explained and smiled apologetically.

"Sirius? Why did he send you instead of coming here by himself?"

Remus chuckled and shook his head with amusement.

"Because he's too busy being a child, Hermione. To him and James, Quidditch is holiness. They simply don't understand how someone can miss a game. And Sirius took it very personal, since..."

Hermione raised her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. She knew exactly what he was trying to say and was in no mood for hearing anything about it.

"Yes, I get it", she said dismissively and then took her time to look at Remus.

Her brows furrowed immediately as she'd noticed the circles under his eyes and the pallor of his face. It was so hard not to tell him that his furry problem, as the rest of Marauders referred to his lycanthropy, was no secret to her... But she needed to wait at least a couple of months to talk to him about it. No one, even as bright as her, could be able to jump to that conclusion after merely two months. Students weren't supposed to be werewolfs, after all...

"You're sure I didn't hurt you? You don't look so good", she stated quietly, despite her thoughts.

It might have been way too early to admit to knowing the truth, but it was never too early to express concern about her friend's health, even if it made Remus slightly uncomfortable. He probably figured that with her sharp mind it was a matter of time before she would find out his secret, which was probably why he decided to stay away from her, rather than befriend her the way that James and Sirius had. Hermione didn't hold it against him, as the society could be very cruel towards people like him. She was, however, determined to gain his trust and make him comfortable around her.

"I think I'm coming down with something. The weather is simply appalling", Remus answered and sighed.

Hermione nodded and started to search her bag for a Pepper-Up Potion. She made a point of carrying it with her, as the last thing she wanted to do was to lay in the hospital bed with a fever. And now she could use it to make Remus warm up to her.

"Here! You should take this! It can save you a trip to the Hospital Wing!", she exclaimed brightly and handed the vial to Remus, who took it with a surprise.

"Pepper-Up? Are you seriously carrying that around?"

"Yes. You've said it yourself, the weather is awful and I have no intentions of being sick. It would be incredibly hard not to fall back with the schoolwork then"

Remus looked at her for a second and then started to laugh. Hermione furrowed her brows and sent him a questioning stare.

"You're such a bookworm. For what it's worth, I really hope that you're going to use your newly found power over Sirius to make him study..."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm going to make him and James cram so hard that this whole place will be peaceful for at least an entire month!", she chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"I'd like to see that happen. But for now, we should get going, otherwise Sirius is not going to speak to both of us"

Hermione sighed and decided that the boy was probably right. Actually, the silent treatment that Padfoot was giving her wouldn't be so bad. If only she'd stop missing him so terribly.

"Look who's decided to show up!", James exclaimed and laughed seeing her grim expression.

Hermione wasn't all that happy about sitting amongst the Gryffindors. Not that she didn't like them. It was just that her roommates would use her absence as a perfect excuse to blackmail her into being a lector during their next Bookish Friday. They claimed that she had the most perfect voice and intonation for reading smut. Hermione didn't know if that should be taken as a compliment or rather an insult, but she learned that it was best not to ask. She learned it the hard way.

"Yes, hello to you to, Jamie", the Ravenclaw rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting next to Sirius, as it was the only place left.

It probably wasn't a coincidence, as Sirius' arm wrapped itself around her shoulders almost immediately and pulled her closer to his warm body. Hermione could feel all the stares burning holes in her robes, but decided that she didn't care. If she had to sit out here for a couple of hours, she might as well get as comfortable as possible and Sirius' warmth was very pleasant.

"Remus, where did you find her? In the library?"

"She actually ran into me, as she was rushing to get here on time", Remus explained with a grin and Hermione blushed slightly, when Sirius' arm tightened around her.

"Anxious to see me, love?", he purred like a cat, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Not really. It's not like we were talking much those past few days", she reminded him impassively, making James laugh.

"That's because you weren't there for our game, woman! And Sirius likes when his women are watching him"

"Well, his women were definitely watching him and I was busy doing something productive"

The boys laughed again and Sirius sighed clearly displeased. He withdrew his arm and stuck his hands inside the pockets. Hermione immediately shivered, making him smirk with satisfaction. She was way too proud to ask him to embrace her again, though, so she clenched her teeth and started to look around the pitch.

It seemed that the game hadn't even started yet. No one was flying around and Madam Hooch was nowhere to be seen. Hermione furrowed her brows and asked:

"Wasn't the game supposed to begin like 15 minutes ago?"

"The weather is terrible. Hooch is probably trying to get everyone to play fair and square as it can be really dangerous in those conditions", James explained, reminding Hermione of the most important reason for her dislike of Quidditch.

It could be deadly and she had no intentions of dying with a stick between her legs. Not only was it utterly pointless and stupid, but it also sounded very dirty.

At that exact moment, the players flew out of their changing rooms and the uproar erupted from the stands. She decided to quit being a buzz killer and cheered along with everyone else, earning herself satisfied glances from James and Sirius.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to fall into the mood, as the Marauders commented on every single action and explained all the interesting manoeuvers to her. That part of Quidditch she could actually enjoy. Learning something new had always been interesting, even if it required her to actually stay focused throughout the game. She couldn't believe that she had never took interest in all those tactics, as they seemed to be really demanding to understand. Being able to spot different manoeuvers made the spectacle so much more entertaining, that she almost forgot about the cold and her clattering teeth.

But then, a lightning cut the sky in multiple places, making everyone gasp. Hermione tensed up immediately, as a flashback of her memories took her breath away for a minute. She could almost see Harry falling down from his broom and then flying towards the ground with an astonishing speed. And now the history seemed to repeat itself, even if she was the only one that could possibly know about it.

The moment Ewan started to fall, Hermione knew what had to be done. Before anyone could react, her wand was out and an incantation left her mouth.

"Arresto Momentum!"

Her scream could probably be heard on the other side of the pitch, but she couldn't care less. She was focused on saving Ewan's life. His body slowed down just before the ground and then slumped down on it with a soft and very wet thump. Her heart was beating against her chest like crazy as she stood there, completely frozen with her wand still pointed towards Ewan.

The whole stadium went quiet and even the players stopped for a moment to just stare at her with shock. Hermione couldn't blame them, as her entire body seemed to be in denial as well. It was hard to breathe, as she watched some of the Professors run towards Ewan to help him, as his body continued to just lay there without a sign of life.

Was she too late? She could have sworn that her spell worked before he hit the ground, but what if her mind decided to play tricks on her? What if he was dead, because she wasn't able to save him on time?

"I need to go", she muttered and ran towards the stairway.

The Marauders yelled after her, but none of them had actually tried to stop her. It took her only a minute to find herself right next to Ewan's body, while the teachers started to scold her.

"Miss Granger, you shouldn't be here. The game is still taking place", Minerva McGonagall informed her with a stern look, but couldn't hide the pride shining in her eyes.

"Actually, Minerva, I believe we have to end the game. Mr Hughes managed to catch the Snitch", Dumbledore said with his brows furrowed and nodded to Madam Hooch who kept hovering over their heads, keeping an eye on the game, but staying close to the injured boy.

Mere seconds later, the commentator announced that Ravenclaw has won the game, but Hermione couldn't help but notice worry in Headmaster's eyes. She shifted impatiently and asked:

"Professor, is Ewan alright?"

"You probably saved his life, Miss Granger, but I'm afraid that he's not unharmed"

"Was it..."

"...the fall? No, unfortunately", Dumledore shook his head and exchanged grim looks with Professor McGonagall.

Hermione's heart clenched when she realised that whatever happened, it must have been serious.

"Please, professor. Ewan's my friend", her voice cracked as she tried to blink away the tears that started to form in her eyes.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dumbledore spoke and made her heart stop completely.

"I'm afraid Mr Hughes has been cursed right before the fall"